Harry Potter and The Champion's Favour
by FacelessSage
Summary: Fleur Delacour was a talented and beautiful witch. Surely, she notice the way Harry Potter was treated after his name came out of the Goblet of fire. She also noticed how no one apologized after the first task. On the eve of Yule ball while she tries to escape her lousy date, maybe a chance encounter would make her see that there is more to Harry Potter than just a boy with a scar.


**-[**-

**Chapter 1**

**-[-**

The evening of Yule ball was in full swing. Students from all three schools mingled and tried to have a pleasant time together. Even Slytherins and Gryffindors seemed to have put their rivalry aside to enjoy the occasion.

Students from all seven years from different schools twirled and danced with their partners. Soft music filled the great hall of Hogwarts and nothing could spoil the festive mood of students and teachers alike.

Even the 'Dungeon bat', Professor Snape, seemed amused as he watched the ever so clumsy Neville Longbottom try his best not to step on his partner's toes.

There was something different in the air of Hogwarts as students and teachers alike enjoyed the music. A few couples walked out of the Great hall to the magical gardens to enjoy some _privacy_ while exchange shy smiles with each other.

It was as if none of them remembered the dangerous first task where four students faced real, fire-breathing dragons and fortunately escaped with their limbs intact. Or maybe they wanted to forget that something like that happened. If that was the case then Yule ball was almost successful. _Almost. _

Out of the four champions of the Tri-wizard Tournament, only two had the fortune of having companions delightful enough to put those memories behind them. Cedric Diggory smiled brightly at his date, Cho Chang, and twirled her around.

Victor Krum whispered something in Hermione's ears before walking off, presumably to get drinks for them. And Fleur Delacour lightly slapped her date's grabby hands for the umpteenth time that evening.

Fleur gave her best fake smile to her date, Roger Davis, when he muttered an apology. Her mood was worsening by the minute. _Why did I have to agree to accompany this swine?_ She thought to herself as she saw some him drool with unfocussed eyes.

_Right, Cedric said that he was a good guy. And I didn't have a date._ She barely held back from cringing when she saw the saliva drop to his fancy clothes.

Her face flushed red when she heard girls from her school giggling at her misery. She was certain that if she looked at them, she would find them whispering to each other while pointing at her.

For a moment, she was tempted to unleash her allure and watch as their dates made a fool out of them. But she was better than them and she didn't want to deal with the swine on her arm if he lost what little control he had.

She breathed a sigh of relief when the song ended. "Excusez-moi, Monsieur Davis." She gave a genuine smile as she moved away from the drooling idiot. "Would you mind getting something to drink for me?" She asked sweetly. _Anything to have a moment away from you._

"Of course, Mademoiselle." Roger smiled brightly and moved away. It would have been charming with his handsome face if he wasn't drooling like an idiot.

Moving through the crowd of merry students, she turned and scanned the dance floor hoping to find a familiar face and fully intending to call it an early night. Her eyes met Cedric for moment and he smiled apologetically.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance and shrugged her shoulder before turning and moving away. _Well, I will have to walk to the carriage alone._ She sighed when she failed to spot her friends.

On her way out, she spotted her fellow champion sitting alone near the fountain with a drink in his hands. _Probably fruit punch._ She giggled. Then again, there was no alcohol available for students.

Maybe some of the daring ones were able to sneak some firewhiskey in their dorms for the after party? She shook her head and moved towards the teen.

_Little boy._ She winced as she remembered the way she acted in front of the boy. _Well, there's no time like present._ In normal circumstances, she would not have bothered trying to apologize. But she had seen and heard how Harry Potter was treated after he was selected as a champion.

She had heard of him from many students who described him to be arrogant, selfish and a glory hound. And she had seen him taking abuse from his fellow students without a word. Even some of his professors gave him a cold shoulder. His only companion seemed to be that brown-haired girl.

_Poor boy._ She thought as she saw him staring at the dancing couples with a small smile. His popularity rose dramatically after he out flew a dragon and she had yet to see him lording it over anyone. And she didn't see or hear anyone apologizing for their behaviour. If anything, Harry seemed almost resigned with the way he was treated before and after the first task.

_Well, I can always be the first to apologize for my less than ideal behaviour._ She coughed softly to gain his attention. Harry blinked a few times and turned to face her. His head tilted sideways as if confused by her sudden appearance.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Potter." She spoke with a small smile. "May I have a moment of your time?"

Harry stared at his fellow champion and tried to remember her name. Normally, he would have remembered her name if not for her bad first impression. Besides, everyone around him referred to her as that 'Hot French bird' or 'Dumb Blonde' or "Manipulative Bitch', so it was kind of difficult to remember her name. And he was too busy trying to ensure his survival to bother about her. It's not like he was used as a bait in a deadly tournament or anything.

"Sure, Miss…" He trailed off awkwardly. He couldn't just call her 'Hot French Bird' or 'Dumb blonde' now, could he?

"Fleur, Fleur Delacour." She frowned in irritation and wondered if this was his way of returning the favour for her earlier insult.

"Right." Harry smiled sheepishly and moved to take her hand and softly kissed her knuckles. "My apologies, Mademoiselle."

_He seems sincere._ "Eet's alright. Would you mind terribly if I ask about your date?" She didn't want to intrude if he was waiting for his date. And she couldn't bring herself to apologize when so many people were staring at her. Harry didn't seem to mind the constant staring.

"Parvati?" He asked before shrugging. "No idea. Last I saw her, she was dancing with someone from your school." She too had ditched her date after all. Hopefully, he would find someone else to spend the rest of the evening.

Fleur winced in sympathy. "Zat must be terrible." She sat beside him and turned to look at the crowd that by now had lost interest in them. _Were they really hoping for a showdown?_ Wands blazing and all that. She wondered.

"No, no. It's alright. I was a lousy date anyway. She deserves better than someone who didn't even want to attend this ball in the first place." Harry smiled in her direction. It was a good thing that Parvati was so understanding about his plight.

"I suppose. You know, I zought you would be whining about her leaving you alone to spend time with some foreign guy." She smirked in amusement when he snorted.

"As if." Harry chuckled when he remembered Ron sulking in the corner with his date and staring at Hermione 'the traitor'. _Nah, it is better this way._ At least, Parvati won't hate him for ruining her evening.

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments. Fleur took that time to study him. He was dressed in bottle green robes that seemed to go well with his eyes. His windswept hair gave him a wild look that did nothing to hide his famous scar.

Fleur noticed that Harry didn't fall for her Vella charm. This might as well be her first conversation in Hogwarts where the one she was talking to didn't turn in a drooling idiot or was jealous of her. Other than her one friend, that is.

"Miss Fleur." Harry's voice brought her out of her musings. "You wanted to talk about something?"

"Ah, yes." She suddenly realized why she decided to approach him in the first place. "Can we go somewhere private?" She gulped. Apologizing was not something she was good at, nor was it something that she did often.

"I suppose." Harry looked at her with a puzzled frown before placing his drink away. "I hear the gardens are beautiful." He stood and extended his hand.

_I hope he doesn't take zis as an invitation for something more._ She took his hand with a small smile. From the corner of his eyes, she saw Harry look at the fairies with wide eyes as they entered the gardens.

Hundreds of fairies sat upon the conjured rosebushes and fluttered over the statues of what seemed to be Father Christmas and his reindeer. His eyes widened in wonder as he took in the sights of the magical garden.

For a moment Fleur thought that that was probably the first time Harry witnessed something like that. But that couldn't be true, could it? He was Harry 'The boy who lived' Potter, Magical Britain's saviour. There was no way he this wasn't a common occurrence for the teen.

"Eet's very beautiful, oui?" She asked as they sat on a bench. She used her wand discreetly to erect a privacy barrier. There had been one too many cases where student's private conversations were published in the Daily Prophet. She didn't want this to be one of those.

"Yes. Yes, it is." Harry smiled softly and watched in wonder as one of the fairies sat on his shoulder. "It's not very often we get to see real fairies."

"Zat's very true. Ze cold drafty castle is not ze most ideal place for fairies." She giggled in her hand, not caring if Harry got angry about her insult to his school. It was what she truly felt and she was not one to mince words. But to her surprise, he laughed with her.

"Hogwarts is very cold, isn't it?" Harry chuckled and watched as the fairy flew away. "Wait till it's February, it's freezing cold but the drafty castle looks absolutely beautiful when it snows. Especially if you are flying."

"I would like to see that. Perhaps you would like to take me flying some time, The-boy-who-out-flew-a-dragon." She fluttered her eyelashes and placed a hand on his forearm. _Why am I flirting with him?_ She thought to herself in confusion. And yet she felt absolutely giddy at the prospect. _Making him blush should be worth it._

"Not another hyphenated name." Harry groaned in misery making her blink. "As if one wasn't enough."

Incredulously, she stared at the teen who brushed off her attempt at flirting without a second thought. _This is a first. Or is he dense? _She blinked, stared at frustrated teen and blinked again. Suddenly, she laughed. She laughed gaily for the first time since coming to that drafty old castle.

"You, 'Arry Potter, are ze most interesting person I have met in Hogwarts." She giggled when she saw his puzzled look. And then she felt even more guilty about her previous behaviour.

"Monsieur 'Arry." She called his name seriously when she caught her breath. "I want to apologize for ze way I treated you. Can you bring yourself to forgive me for my harsh words?"

Harry stared at her for few moments. And Fleur thought he was going to deny it. "What are you talking about, Miss Fleur?" He asked while tilting his head to the side.

"I said some harsh words when we first met right after your selection." She could feel her cheeks warm at the admission. It was only proper to identify your mistakes while apologizing. Maybe that was what he was asking of her. "I called you a little boy and behaved like a right bitch. Eet was very inappropriate of me. And I hope that we can put it past us."

"Right." Harry blinked in realization. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Miss Fleur."

_What is he trying to do here?_ Fleur thought. "You really don't remember?" She tried to keep her anger and shock out of her voice.

"I do." Harry admitted and turned to look at her with a small smile. "But I think it is only proper to forget about it. It's better to think it never happened. Clearly, you are a better person than what you portray yourself to be."

_Who would have zought him to so perceptive? _She smiled. "You are a very sweet person. Why didn't you ask me to ze ball?" She wondered out loud before she could think to stop herself. She felt her cheeks glow at her own boldness.

"Huh?" Harry looked confused for a moment. "I thought you would prefer to spend the evening with someone near your age. I mean, there are very few things we could talk about. And truthfully, you are very intimidating."

"Oui?" She blinked in confusion. _Her? Intimidating? What was zis guy talking about?_

"Yes. I mean, you are beautiful, confident and smart. You could have anyone you wanted as a date. Besides, what would we even talk about? I mean, I am in my fourth year and you are in your seventh. We can't even talk about magic as equals. And I didn't even want to attend this event."

She smiled as he spoke about her. _For a moment, I thought he didn't find me physically attractive. Either that or he played for same team._ She giggled as he spoke about their age difference. _Beautiful, smart and confident. Now, that is a pretty intimidating combination. _

"Why didn't you want to attend ze ball?" She chose to ignore the rest for the moment. As much as she wanted to disabuse him of the notion that they would have nothing to talking about, she decided to focus on important things.

"Well, first, I don't know how to dance properly." She giggled at his flushed face. "Second, my courage left me the moment I learned that I had to find a date for the event." This time she could not stop the laughter that escaped her lips.

"Seriously! After out flying a dragon, 'Arry Potter was afraid of asking a girl out." She tried to stop laughing for a moment. "Oh, zis is just too precious." And began laughing again.

Harry huffed in irritation. And that set her off again. Fleur muttered a half-hearted apology when she finally managed to stop laughing.

"Besides, I don't like people staring at me like a zoo animal on exhibit." Harry muttered to himself but Fleur heard it anyway.

Frowning in sympathy, she patted his hand. "I know how you feel. Eet gets annoying after a while."

"Right?" He asked rhetorically and turned to stare at the sky. They sat in companionable silence for some moments, each lost in their thoughts.

"You didn't answer my question." Fleur asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Will you take me flying on your broom?" She barely held herself back from giggling.

"Do you like flying?" Harry asked. And then Fleur witnessed an almost magical change in the boy when she nodded. "Really? That's so cool. There are so many places to see around Hogwarts…" Gone was the laid-back teen, instead a child took his place as the teen chattered on and on about all the place they could see while flying.

The tower of Gryffindor, the Great lake, the Forbidden forest, the Shrieking shack, the majestic view of Hogwarts from the lake, the stone bridge, the suspension bridge, the astronomy tower, Bell towers, Headmaster's tower… Fleur listened with growing fascination as Harry described the many places of Hogwarts and surrounding areas she didn't know about. His eyes sparkled with joy as he described his favourite places.

"You know a lot about zis castle." She commented idly when he stopped speaking.

"Yes." He ran a hand through his hair and stared at the ground in embarrassment. "I sneak around a lot. This place is like a home to me."

She thought she a glimpse of sadness in his eyes but decided to ignore it. She didn't want say something that would make him uncomfortable.

"Zen I would love to see all zese places with you, Monsieur Potter." She said softly and shared a brief smile with the teen.

"It is getting late." Fleur said after a few moments of silence. "I will see you tomorrow. Zat is if you don't mind my company."

"No, no. Of course, I won't mind talking with you again." Harry stood and helped her up. "Let me walk you to your carriage."

"My, aren't you a gentleman." She giggled and took his hand. _Oui, maybe ze Yule Ball wasn't so bad after all._

**-]****[-**

Harry Potter placed his head on the breakfast table with a muffled groan. He did his best ignore both of his friends. One was too busy to fill his endless pit of stomach in the most disgusting way he possibly could and the other was too busy glaring at the boy.

Last night, the Gryffindor common room witnessed a blazing row between Hermione and Ron that ended with Ron having a red hand shaped mark on his face and Hermione in tears.

_Hermione does have a mean right hand._ Harry shivered as he remembered her punching Draco Malfoy last year. He was suddenly very glad that he was not there to witness that fight.

_It might have been worth watching Ron get his just deserts._ Harry wondered in morbid fascination. He didn't forget all the things that prat did to make him miserable this year.

Then again, if he was, he was certain he would have taken Hermione's side over some jealous prick. He didn't think he would ever get over Ron's behaviour after he was selected as a champion. Even his apology was half hearted at best.

Suddenly, the great hall quietened but Harry didn't bother to raise his head. His fellow students were just weird like that. "Oh, my. You seem to be having a bad day, Monsieur Potter." Fleur's voice made him raise his head up.

_So that's why they grew quiet._ Harry wanted to drag his hand on his face in annoyance but instead chose give a small smile to his friend and try to be polite.

"I didn't get much sleep last night. A bad dream." Harry muttered and decided to sit straight. _Waking up screaming with a bleeding scar is not normal. Maybe I should see someone about it. But who can I trust with it? _

_Not Headmaster. That's for sure._ Harry remembered how it was Dumbledore who decided to use him as a bait to draw out Voldemort. Why? There could be no one other than Voldemort who would try to harm him. His vision like dreams were proof of that.

_Maybe I will have to contact a healer myself. Madame Pomfrey would go to Headmaster the first chance she can._ Harry shook his head. _Besides, if Madame Promfrey could find something about this scar, she would have done years ago. I have been in her care more times than I care to count. Right?_

Hermione snorted at his answer. Everyone in the Gryffindor tower heard him screaming last night because he forgot to use the silencing charm on his curtains.

"Won't you introduce your friends, Monsieur Potter?" Fleur asked in amusement as she prepared a plate for her breakfast. Harry coughed in embarrassment when he felt Hermione's elbow against his ribs. He was thinking too much that morning.

"Right." He muttered. "Fleur this Hermione. Hermione, you know the Beauxbatons champion Fleur Delacour." He leaned back when the two decided to shake hands and rolled his eyes when he saw Hermione smirking at him in amusement. _Did they plan to get me stuck in the middle?_

"And this is Ron Weas..." Harry trailed off when he saw the look on his face. Ron's mouth was hanging open as he stared at Fleur with glazed eyes. Harry cringed in disgust when he saw half-eaten food drop down his chin along with large amount of saliva.

"You know what, never mind. I think I just lost my appetite." Harry pushed his plate away in synch with Hermione and Fleur. "I think I will go for a walk."

"I will be in the library if you need me." Hermione waved with a smile. Her eyes twinkled in mischief. "Don't forget about the egg. Have a good day."

Harry watched her curiously as she left in a hurry. "What's up with her?" Fleur giggled when he wondered out loud.

"Don't worry about her, Monsieur Potter." Fleur smiled. "Why don't we go out for a walk? I have heard many interesting things about you. Maybe you can help me discern the truth out of the rumours."

"Ah, well. Rumours get spread pretty quickly in Hogwarts." Harry gave a half-hearted shrug and hoisted his school bag on his shoulder. The classes were cancelled that day but that didn't mean that he didn't have to worry about the second task. Or his life for that matter.

"They tend to get pretty exaggerated in Hogwarts." Harry said as he they walked outside. "So, what rumours have caught your attention, Miss Fleur?"

"Zere are many. Students of Hogwarts like to say many fascinating things about zeir resident celebrity, Monsieur Potter." _And yet they are perfectly alright with treating their hero like a pariah._ None of her disdain showed on her face.

"Can you please call me Harry?" It was starting to feel like he was talking with a Slytherin. Formal and all. I should really learn some etiquettes if this is the way wizards like to converse.

Harry wanted to start learning about wizarding etiquette that year. But his plans went down the drain the moment his name was announced as a champion.

"Only if you call me Fleur." She answered lightly. Fleur ignored the stares and whispers of her fellow students easily. Her feet guided them to through the corridors filled with students towards the Great Lake.

Unbidden, her thoughts went to a conversation she had with Cedric Diggory, her fellow champion, a few days before the Yule ball.

_"Any luck with your egg?" Cedric asked in amusement, having finally figured out the egg's secret._

_"__None." Fleur answered honestly. A headache was her constant companion as she tried to figure out it's secrets. "Did you have any luck with eet?"_

_"Yes, yes I did." Cedric answered with a small smile. "Try listening to the egg while holding it under water. It's a song of Merpeople."_

_"What?" Her mouth opened in disbelief as she stared at boy. "Why are you giving away the secret to your competition? Won't eet be disadvantageous to you?"_

Cedric_ gave a wry smile and stared at his feet. "This tournament is not worth risking your life. I am aware that both you and Victor Krum knew about the dragons before the task and that you had the chance to prepare yourself in advance."_

_"No, let me finish." Cedric raised a hand when she tried to defend herself. "I know both of your headmaster/headmistress informed you as soon as they learned about it. Don't deny it. We both know that it's the truth."_

Fleur_ stared at her feet in embarrassment guilt. "Unlike yours, our headmaster didn't bother to tell us anything about the task. Nor was there any mention about dragons. It was fortunate that I learned about dragons before the task. It probably saved my life."_

_"How did you learn about eet?" She asked curiously. She didn't think that her denying about it would matter. She knew it was the truth. She wasn't that arrogant to think that she could have survived the first task without prior warning and lots of preparations._

_"Harry told me about them." Cedric confessed turning to look at said boy sitting with his brown-haired friend with a large tome between them. "He told me that dragons were involved in the first task. I asked him the same question you did. 'Why are you helping? Why not keep the advantage?' Do you know what he said?"_

_Fleur shook her head and listened intently. Her eyes focussed on the unassuming, humble fourteen-year boy she insulted on their first meeting because of her arrogance and pride._

_"He said that he was just an unwilling participant in this mess. He considered me to be the true champion of Hogwarts and that he wanted a fair chance for everyone." Cedric's voice took a note of wonder as he continued speaking._

_"He said that 'eternal glory' was not worth the risk my life would be in if I was unprepared." Cedric stared at the ground in shame as he remembered the way his house behaved for the past few months._

_"I can honestly say that I would have not informed Harry about the dragons if I was in his place." Cedric was ashamed to admit that he would have not thought his fellow champion if he was in Harry's place._

_Unknown__ to him, Fleur was going through the same dilemma. Her own words about 'eternal glory', 'once in a lifetime opportunity', 'the honour of zeir country', 'a thousand galleons' left a bitter taste in her mouth. Against Harry Potter's argument, they seemed to be rubbish. Against someone's life, they were worthless.__"_

_Anyway, can you inform Harry about the clue if you get the chance?" Cedric asked her. When she looked up, Harry and his friend were gone from the Great Hall._

Fleur glanced around and took in the sights of the Forbidden Forest. Just like the students of Hogwarts, they were forbidden to enter the forest. But they did it with a thrill anyway.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked cautiously.

"I found zis great spot to sit near the Great lake." Fleur said enthusiastically. "Hope you are not afraid of walk through the Forbidden forest."

And Harry remembered his visits to the forbidden forest. The detention in his first year with the terrifying creature that drank unicorn's blood, his and Ron's encounter with Acromantula in their own colony and their subsequent escape in his second year, his and Hermione's escape from a werewolf to this very forest in their third year.

He remembered how close he was to death every time he visited this forest. Especially that one time when his soul was almost sucked out of his body by the Dementors. Bless Hermione for her quick thinking and Time-Turner.

"Nope, I am not afraid of this forest. Not one bit." Harry chuckled nervously. "So, which rumours did you want to validate?"

Fleur stared at the suddenly cautious boy for few moments. Maybe those rumours about his adventures in the Forbidden forests were true as well. _I will ask him about eet later. Eet's better to hear it from the horse's mouth._

"Is eet true zat you can do ze Patronous charm?" She asked curiously. It was one of the most difficult and magically taxing charm after all. Even she could not perform the charm successfully.

"Yes." Harry admitted and not for the first wondered what she heard from the rumour mill of Hogwarts. If nothing else, at least it was thorough most of the times. He knew the rumours most likely originated from Ron's big mouth.

"Can you show eet to me?" Fleur clasped her hands together and pleaded.

Harry took a steady breath and nodded. He took his wand out from his bad and raised it in the air and thought about his happy memories. Unbidden memories flashed in his mind.

_The moment he learned he was a wizard from Hagrid.__Performing his first spell._

_The__ memory of his first Broomstick ride._

_Being__ able to put images and faces to the names of his parents for the first time as he opened Hagrid's gift._

_The__ happiness he felt when he saw Hermione after she woke up from her petrification._

_Receiving__ the first hug of his life from his brown-haired friend in the middle of the Great hall._

_Celebrating__ Gryffindor's victory in the House championship in second year with friends._

_Listening__ to her mother's final words when he was close to Dementors. 'Not Harry… No… Have mercy… Have mercy…' Then a shrill laughter and his mother's screams._

_Sirius's offer of a home. He thoughts and desire to accept that offer and never return to the Dursleys._

Fleur watched in fascination as the tip of Harry's wand glowed brightly. White mist swirled around the tip and for a moment the glow dimmed before it became blindingly bright.

"Expecto Patronum." Fleur heard Harry speak in a loud, clear voice and looked up at his face. She was astonished to find tears falling down his cheeks. His eyes were squeezed tightly.

Fleur tried to speak but stopped and watched in amazement. The glow at tip of his wand brightened and out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal.

Fleur watched in awe as a majestic silver stag took form and ran around them. The corporeal stag was almost solid and Fleur would swear to her last days that she heard the sound of its hooves striking the ground as it ran in the forest.

"Sweet Morgana…" She muttered and felt the air charge up with positive emotions and happiness. A smile formed on her face as she felt the happiness radiated from the stag.

Her eyes widened in wonder as the stag walked up to Harry and the boy ran his hand on its muzzle.

"Hello Prongs." Harry whispered.

**-[-**


End file.
